A 24-year-old Mesa man has been charged with knowingly producing a biological toxin, a federal crime punishable by up to life in prison. FBI agents say Casey Cutler used a recipe off the internet to produce ricin, which is a derivative of caster beans. Less than one gram of ricin is enough to kill an adult if it is inhaled, ingested or injected.

A hazardous materials team spent two days searching Cutlerís garbage filled apartment for evidence. At this point investigators do not believe Cutler planned to use the ricin in a terrorist plot or large scale attack.

Preliminary lab tests show Cutler had a crude form of ricin that was probably enough to kill somebody. The mother of Cutlerís roommate says Cutler suffers from mental illness